The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-03-25
FIRE AND DEATH.
Terrible Early Morning Holocaust
at Buffalo, N. z.
Destruction Of the Richmond Hotel-In-
mates Leap From Windows In Their
Frantic Efforts to Escape-Mnny
Killed and Injured.

BUFFALO, n. Y, March 1S-Another ca
tanity has visited Buffalo. The splendid
new Richmond Hotel. at the corner OF Main
and Eagle streets. was totally destroyed BY
IRE carly this morning, together with the
St James Hall and other adjacent property.
The most distressing part of the disaster Is
the loss of several lives. The rapldity OF
the fire cutting Of all means of escape, led
seine persons to leap for life from the win
dows. Others got down fire escapes or on
Hayes ladders raised by the fire department.
The shrieks ard cries OF the poor people
In the upper stories of the structure were
heartrenGiug. One man. mad with terror,
leaped from the third-story window aud
was picked up from the stone sidewalk on
Main street a mangied and bleeiing CORPSE
Several who succeeded in making their
escape were badly injured and burned and
some Of them will probably die. Others,
more fortunate, escaped with slight in
Juries- Many OF the wounded were taken
30 the hospitals.
Robert Stafford. the senior proprietor Of
the hotel, with his wife, occupied rooms
on the second floor. and had a narrow es-
cape. Terror overcame everybody, and
even those who escaped in safety were in
periences- There were LIS persons in the
hotel, twenty of whom were transient
guests. eight boarders and the remainder
pcrters. bel boys. families of the propri-
etors aId clerks. Twenty-Five of these
were rescued from the windows by the fire
men. twenty-five are at hospitals. and q
large number made their escape by other
means. The origin Of the fire is not yet
known William A. Airport. the night
clerk. says: 'Thc fire started in the
cloak room under the main stairway. az
S-:S O'Clock There was nobody up bu'
myself. Joe, the night porter, and Plum
mer, the bell boy pulled all foc- Of the
fire alarms on the different floors AID peo-
pie came flying down stairs in their night
clothes. The FIRE followed the elevator.
and inside of five minutes it reached the
top floor. brushed outdoors after doing all
could
The large court in the center OF the b,iiid-
ing must have afforded scope for the fear
full blaze. for IN less time almost than i.
takes to tell it the flames shot upward
through the elevator and caught to the
topmost floor. and egress became matter
of extreme difficulty on every floor. The
first alarm was given by Policeman Henry
Clark. a. 3:a5- A general alarm fol-
lowed BY four O'Clock the screams
Of the guests on the second. third and
fourth floors could be heard several
hundred yards, and the Hayes extension
ladders were carly brought into re9uisition.
Women and children were dragged in night
dresses out of the w .ni,ws into the chill AIR
and carried by the fremen into the streets.
where they were wrapped in warm blankets
and carried to neighborlng houses and hotels.
The fire fieni got his work in so rapidly that
there were many hairbreaith escapes.
Some of the women, after they landed
On the ground, were obliged to stand
bare-limbed in the running water. before
they could be bianaeted aud carried from
the shocking scene. At 4:l0 the whole
building, north, south, cas- and west was
ali abla-e- At this time the extension was
raised to the fourth story and two women
were landed safely, but severely scorched.
Six streams Of water were now playing on
the north end of the building from Eagle
street. but the brisk wind from the south
was ba fling the efforts of the fireren.
At 4:Io the blaze had only affected the
outside and the middle portion of the top
6oor on Main street. but was making rapid
heaGway On the south side. About this
time a man attempted to make his escape
from one OF the lower floors. but fell through
the hands of the firemen, and alighting
on his head he was instantly killed. Five
girls were discovered in fifth story WIN
dow. and were rescued with great difficult
ty by means Of plank placed across the
alley to the top of BuuneIrs Museum. One
Of the girls, while crossing the slender
bridge, fell to the ground. distance
of four stories. She was not killed.
but was terribly injured. Her name was
supposed TO be Mary Conneil, whose home
is Ut al Hamburg street Her legs were
terribly cut and bruised and her back
seemed to be very badly injured and her
face and arms were in frightful condition
from burns.
William Purcell. Of this city. local agent
of Bradstreets, fell from the third story
to the sidewalk and was killed instantly.
John Kahn, New York, jumped from the
fourth floor, injured back. leg fractured
snd hand and face burned. Mary E.
Witt housekpeper of the hotel. is
badly burned on The arms and face. c. ".
". Dubois, Syracuse. foot, hands and face
burned. His feet were severely cut by
glass. F. X. Moore. Cleveland. hands and
face burned. J. A Finch. Scranton, fatally
injured At the Emergency, DR..
Daniels attended to four patients,
u hose names and injuries are as
fellows: h. B. Smith. Syracuse, feet. hands
and head severely burned: W. J. Mackcy,
Niagara Falls, fell through the skylight and
hurt his back severely: Edward Wheeler.
hands, feet and face burned-feIl one story
and badly bruised; Barry Davies, New
York, feet hands and face burned.
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